Cheryl Sainsbury, from Pontypridd, mentioned that cabin crew have been looking out the airplane for a rucksack earlier than their flight was escorted to Lanzarote by fighter jets following a bomb scare on a TUI flight from Cardiff to Lanzarote
A gaggle of associates from Pontypridd have been caught up within the “surreal” second a TUI flight from Cardiff Airport was escorted by fighter jets after a bomb scare. Cheryl Sainsbury and her three associates Leanne Thomas, Cherie Gurner and Tara Pumford have been wanting ahead to having fun with a last-minute vacation in Lanzarote when their flight took a flip for the more severe.
Whereas flying over Portugal on Thursday morning (June 19), round half-way by means of the just about 4 hour flight, the captain came to visit the radio to say that the airplane would wish to land as quickly as doable as a result of there was studies of a “system” on board. “We have been kind of one another pondering ‘what’s he on about’?”, Cheryl, 43, mentioned.
“We have been all scared however there was no sense of panic as such on board. All people appeared to return collectively and simply appeared out for one another. All of us wished to verify everybody was okay.”
She added that the cabin crew from TUI remained calm and “good” with all of the passengers. You possibly can learn extra about what occurred to the flight right here.
Whereas everybody was instructed to stay of their seats, the crew appeared below the seats and within the overhead lockers to verify that each one the baggage was accounted for. “I believe they have been in search of a black rucksack,” Cheryl mentioned.
Whereas onboard and ready for information about what would occur subsequent, the passengers tried to message family members to inform them what was occurring to them. Get the most recent Ponty information first by signing as much as our publication right here
On the time, the group thought that somebody had put a name in to say that there was a bomb on board, however they later discovered {that a} threatening handwritten notice was present in one of many bathrooms .
The following announcement from the captain mentioned {that a} threat evaluation had been carried out and it was concluded that the menace was low, so the flight would not be touchdown earlier in Portugal.
Nevertheless, for the passengers and crews’ security, they have been escorted the remainder of the way in which by two Portuguese fighter jets earlier than they safely landed on the airport in Arrecife, Lanzarote.
Cheryl mentioned: “As soon as we landed on the bottom, it was the most important celebration and sense of reduction.
“We have been taken to a distant a part of the airport and there have been police and fireplace engines surrounding the airplane. We needed to get off one-by-one.”
Nevertheless, the ordeal was not utterly over because the group needed to watch for the emergency providers on the bottom to verify by means of all the baggage earlier than they have been allowed to go away.
“We needed to stand on the tarmac with all the baggage however we weren’t allowed to the touch of any of it,” Cheryl defined. “They introduced sniffer canine and the bomb squad so we simply needed to stand their and watch earlier than they allow us to on the bus.
“We bought taken to some type of compound the place there have been no refreshments and only one rest room. We simply needed to wait their till they’d approval from the police to allow us to go to get again to the traditional a part of the airport the place we may undergo immigration and accumulate our instances.
Since managing to go away the airport, the group have been having fun with some drinks in Lanzarote to attempt to “settle their nerves” after the expertise. They’re resulting from fly again residence on Sunday and are hoping that flight is much less eventful.
Cheryl mentioned: “It was such a bizarre expertise particularly as I am a fairly anxious flyer so I do not understand how we did it. Though we have been all scared, we simply caught collectively and tried to maintain it calm.”
Regardless of the full-on response, officers finally found there was no explosive system aboard, and native police have now launched an investigation to find out who wrote the letter discovered within the rest room.
A spokesperson for Cardiff Airport mentioned: “We’re conscious of an incident involving flight TOM6422 from Cardiff to Lanzarote on 19/06/25. The protection of our passengers is our primary precedence. No issues or suspicious exercise have been raised previous to departure.”
TUI have been contacted for remark
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